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A study was conducted to identify trends and gaps in distance-education areas as addressed in the journal Quarterly Review of Distance Education from 2002 to 2017. A directed content analysis methodology was used to classify the articles according to the Zawacki-Richter (2009) validated classification framework of research areas in distance education. The qualitative data analysis software Quirkos was used to conduct the content analysis of 401 articles. Findings showed that most articles (54%) addressed research areas related to teaching and learning in distance education (microlevel); 14% addressed areas related to distance education systems and theories (macrolevel); and 20% addressed areas related to management, organization, and technology (mesolevel). Twelve percent of the articles were classified as addressing other areas not clearly identified in the framework. Findings are similar to previous analyses guided by the Zawacki-Richter framework.
INTRODUCTION
Academic journals and conferences represent the research footprint of the evolution of knowledge in a particular field. They show the research areas of focus, the impact of interdisciplinary ideas, methodologies commonly used, key researchers, networks and collaborations, among other aspects. The mapping of research trends and identifying areas of focus and gaps in academic research is done by analyzing research published in academic journals, in particular fields over a specific period of time. These trend analyses are useful to give a general view of how a discipline is evolving, to enable associations and organizations to set their research agendas based on data, and to serve as a guide for researchers to identify research topics.
An analysis of the articles in the Quarterl y Review of Distance Education-henceforth referred to as the Quarterly Review-would allow the editorial team, contributors, and the distance education community to appreciate how the journal has contributed to the growth and shaping of this field from 2002 to 2017. Utilizing the validated Zawacki-Richter (2009) classification of research areas in distance education as the basis of this analysis allowed for a comparison of the findings with other studies that were conducted using comparable journals in the field.
Following is an introduction to the Quarterly Review, a description of the ZawackiRichter (2009) system-based validated frame- work, and a review of studies that have used the framework to classify distance education research published in other journals. The final...